The time constraints from being serious student-athletes at big-time college football programs prevent Aaron Henry and Brian Rolle from staying in touch as often as they wish.

But when the longtime buddies from Immokalee, Fla., do touch base -- usually once a week - they tend to make up for lost time.

"We don't talk a lot," Rolle said, "but when we do, we have long conversations."

The ironic part is that Henry, a third-year sophomore cornerback for the University of Wisconsin football team, and Rolle, a junior linebacker at Ohio State, usually make a concerted effort to talk about football as little as possible.

They figure there's enough ground to cover -- God, girls and grades are major topics -- during their weekly chat, which will continue this week despite the fact the No. 9 Buckeyes (4-1 overall) will host the Badgers (5-0) Saturday in a matchup of 2-0 Big Ten Conference teams.

"Nothing will change," Henry said. "I know what he's capable of, he knows what I'm capable of. We'll definitely wish each other the best."

Almost a Badger

The two have been friends since their days playing Pop Warner football. Both were two-way stars at Immokalee, which was a hot spot for recruiters during their senior season in 2006.

Henry and Rolle made official visits together to Madison and, two weeks later, to Iowa. It was only natural to assume they'd end up being teammates at the college level.

That's what UW coach Bret Bielema and defensive coordinator Dave Doeren were hoping after Henry gave the Badgers an oral commitment in December 2006. After Rolle committed to Ohio State, then changed his mind and de-committed, UW thought it had a good chance of landing the speedy linebacker.

"We kept working him," said Bielema, who first offered Rolle a scholarship after watching him during a practice his sophomore season. "I don't know how much (Ohio State coach Jim) Tressel and his staff knew that, but we weren't letting up, because I just thought he's that kind of a player that we want to stay alive on him. And him and Aaron were extremely close."

Rolle's decision went down to Signing Day in February 2007. As the two sat down at a table in Immokalee's auditorium, even Henry didn't know which school's letter of intent -- Ohio State, UW or Florida -- his best friend would sign.

Heck, Rolle didn't even know until the last possible minute.

"I remember that day, I almost cried," Rolle said. "I remember walking down into the auditorium and just thinking, 'Man, what am I going to do?' I happened to sign with Ohio State, but it was very close.

"Madison was wonderful, the coaches were wonderful, the players were great, it was a great atmosphere up there. But in the end, Ohio State's where God needed me to be."

Common ground

That common faith is part of the reason the bond between Henry and Rolle is so strong.

One of seven children in a poor family, Rolle got involved with the wrong group of friends as a youth and ended up being in trouble so often that he was sent to an alternative middle school.

But Rolle changed his ways.

"He's probably the reason why I got more close to God," Rolle said of Henry. "I tried to follow in his footsteps."

Rolle did just that. At Immokalee, the two became known as much for the way they acted off the field as they did for their exploits on it.

"The thing we talk about is not only that they are great players, but they're great students," said Israel Gallegos, who is in his second season as Immokalee's head football coach after spending 14 years as an assistant. "If you're a great student, that allows you to go to a program like Wisconsin and Ohio State. If you can't get it done in the classroom, you won't wind up at good programs like that."

Henry and Rolle take seriously their role as role models for youth in Immokalee. The city of 20,000, which is located in an agricultural area about 35 miles southeast of Fort Myers and 40 miles northeast of Naples in southern Florida, includes some dangerous areas.

When Henry and Rolle return home, they try to encourage youth to stay in school and avoid crime.

"A lot of kids see sports as this way to come out of that turmoil and that chaos that they're going through," said Henry, who missed last season with a knee injury. "There's some crazy talent around there, and we're just trying to make an impact not just here, but back home as well."

Rolle and Henry are living proof that hard work has its rewards. After two seasons as a special teams standout, Rolle is the Buckeyes' leading tackler in his first season as a starter at middle linebacker. Henry, meanwhile, is trying to regain the form that helped him make an immediate impact two seasons ago as a true freshman.

"It's a tremendous opportunity for both of us," Rolle said. "We worked hard growing up, knowing what we wanted to do in life -- get away and make something of ourselves.

"We had our mind set on what we wanted to do throughout high school and we always kept on each other to make sure we were lifting, running, doing the extra things that most people don't do. It's certainly paying off for us right now."

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